Method of and apparatus for blocking hats



Oct. 13, 1942. N. B. VARON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING HATS Filed-Sept. 8 1939 Patented Oct. 13, 1942 UNET STATES $A'l'iihl FICE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING HATS 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel a d i D method for the blocking and forming of hats and apparatus therefor.

It has been the common practice of the hat manufacturing trade to form the crowns of any felt hats from single hoods. These hoods are the large shapeless formations which represent the product of felt manufacturing processes. In the hat manufacturing process, the hood is pulled over an appropriate form or block to shape the hat crown as required, tied with rope or springs or the like and blocked to the shape thereof. That portion of the hood which extends below the rope as a skirt-like appendage to the crown, is finally removed, leaving the top of the hood as the hat crown. This skirtlike portion is practically useless, being only adapted for use in trimming hats, etc., and for the most part is lost.

I have conceived the idea of manufacturing hat crowns in such a manner that two or more crowns may be formed from one hood. This novel expedient is especially applicable to the case of ladies brimless hats, such as the socalled pill box hats, for example. By use of my novel method there will be practically no skirt or like extension to result in waste.

My invention comprises my new method and means for carrying same out. I provide a support for holding two hat forms or blocks in a juxtaposed position so that a single hood may be pp d over the two forms or blocks. The forms are then roped and blocked in the usual manner and finally, the felt extending between the hats is cut, separating the two forms or blocks and resulting in the manufacture of two crowns. Each individual crown is then separately treated in accordance with usual processes.

An object of this invention is to provide a method for the formation of hat crowns, whereby two or more hat crowns may be formed from a single hood or body.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel support for forms or blocksfor carrying out my new method of manufacturing hat crowns.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described for the purpose set forth which will be simple, efficient and economical to manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when conidered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawing in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the apparatus contemplated by my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a hood as used with the apparatus of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the apparatus of my invention, having a single hood placed thereupon and tied into position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the blocks of Fig. 3 in which the hood has been cut to separate the crowns being formed on the ap rratus of my invention. 7

Referring now to specific constructional tietails, the reference character It designates generally a support constructed of wood, steel or similar material and comprising a base portion H and a paddle-like support portion l2. The thickness of said paddle-like support portion i2 is such that same tapers upwards so that same is narrower at the top l3 than at the bottom it. Approximately in the center of the paddlelike portion I 2, on each face thereof, are provided cylindrical members l5 fixedly attached to said paddle-like portion I2. The base H is provided centrally thereof with a cylindrical opening ll whereby said support I0 may accommodate a jack or the like while in operative use.

The blocks l'l illustrated in Fig. 1 are conventional types of blocks and hence need not be specifically described. They are provided with openings 18 which permit said blocks to be placed upon said cylindrical members l5. When both of said blocks ll are disposed upon their respecposed position, as shown in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that I provide in the illustrated embodiment for the blocks to be slightly at an angle to one another by reason of the tapering of the paddle-like portion l2. This facilitates ease in forming the hat crowns. Usually hats will be formed with the front portion thereof slightly larger than the rear portion. Hence, the juxtaposition of two hats with front portions together would result in a smaller general diameter of assembly at that point. By means of the taper the assembly of the two hat blocks will have the same general diameter at all points, thus resulting in an even pull on the hood worked onto the same, and consequently permitting the formation of a more even and symmetrical nap and thickness of felt than otherwise possible. Of course, satisfactory results will in many cases be obtainable by disposing the hat blocks with the faces thereof parallel, and hence providing the paddle-like portion l2 with parallel faces, instead of tapered, as shown.

Said paddle portion I2 is provided with pins l9 adapted to cooperate with openings 20 on said blocks I! so that said blocks are fixed, so far as rotation thereof is concerned. It will be noted that the blocks I have illustrated are for the so-called pill box type of ladies brimless hat. It must be obvious that my invention could be applied to any type of hat crown.

In the process of manufacturing hat crowns by my new method the blocks I! are placed upon thesupport 14, as shown in Fig. 3, which is held upon a jack or the like (not shown). A hood or body 2| is then pulled down over the two blocks. Said body is a conventional felt hood which is procured from the manufacturer in the shapeless form shown in Fig. 2. The shapes of the crowns to be formed upon the blocks I! are defined bymans of the ropes 22 which are tied about said blocks in the usual manner, well known to the trade. Said ropes lie upon the portions 23 of said blocks against the cut back portions 24 in the usual manner. In this position the mouth 25 of the hood is pulled tightly around the blocks to conform the hood to the shapes thereof, and the crowns are gradually blocked into shape while at the same time the left over portion 26 of the hood 2| is pulled tighter and tighter. Finally, the correct shape is obtained and the two blocks are separated by cutting the hood in the groove 2'! following around the outline of the paddle portion l2. Thus the two blocks are separated, each having a crown 29 formed thereon, as shown in Fig. 4. In this condition the crowns may be further treated in any desired fashion for the production of a hat by placing same on a jack and proceeding in the usual manner. It is to be noted that the skirt portion 28 remaining upon each of said crowns is exceedingly small. It is practically negligible when compared to theamount of waste represented by the skirt portion resulting from the use of the common method of manufacturing single hat crowns from single hoods. It must be obvious, that the above outlined method is a preferred one, and its execution depends to a great extent upon the contoural shape of the hat crowns being formed.

At times -it becomes necessary because of the shapes of the hat crowns to merely form the general shape upon {the apparatus described. That is to say, the hood, after being steamed or likewise treated in the usual manner, is pulled over the apparatus described and the ropes are attached about the blocks at any convenient place possible. If the steps 23 are not available, this may be done at any mid-point on the periphery of the blocks, merely to hold the halves of the hood thereupon to permit cutting. After the division, the individual crowns may be treated and stretched upon individual jacks until there is sufficient remainder 28 to permit the ropes to be placed about the exact borders of the crowns to accurately shape same. The procedure following this is the usual one, well known to the trade, and hence same need not be further discussed.

It will be seen that my method provides for an economical way of manufacturing hat crowns and it will be further seen that same is done in a most efiicient manner by means of the apparatus I have herein set forth.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for the manufacture of felt hats and the like, comprising a center support having an aperture therein for rotatably mounting the same on a spindle, a pair of hat blocks removably mounted upon said support and so constructed and arranged as to enable a single felt hat body to be drawn tautly thereabout to form two hats simultaneously, each of said hat blocks being provided with a grooved portion to permit the felt to be held in a fixed position on each of said blocks, each of said hat blocks also being provided with an aperture to permit said blocks to be individually mounted on a spindle after removal of said blocks from said center support.

2. A method of making felt hats which comprises providing a center support on opposite sides of which a pair of hat blocks is removably mounted, pulling a single felt hat body tautly about said pair of hat blocks, and cutting said felt body along the periphery of said center support whereby the hat blocks each having tautly drawn felt thereon may be removed from the center support for further operations.

3. A method of making felt hats which comprises providing a center support on opposite sides of which a pair of hat blocks is removably mounted, pulling a single felt hat body tautly about said pair of hat blocks, locking said felt in position on each of said blocks, and cutting said felt body along the periphery of said center support whereby the hat blocks each having tautly drawn felt thereon may be removed from the center support for further operations.

A method of making felt hats which comprises providing a center support on opposite sides of which a pair of hat blocks is removably mounted, pulling a single felt hat body tautly about said pair of hat blocks, locking said felt in position on each of said blocks, cutting said felt body along the periphery of said center support, removing each of the hat blocks each of which has tautly drawn felt thereon, individually supporting each of said hat blocks, and completing the usual operations.

5. In a device of the character described, a

single vertically arranged member having two opposed substantially vertically disposed faces, and means disposed upon each of said faces for supporting a hat block in operative position with the face of each block engaging the respective face upon which same is supported, both of said hat blocks being thereby arranged so that a single hat body may be pulled over both of said blocks simultaneously in a vertical downward direction.

6. In a device of the character described, a single vertically arranged member having two opposed substantially vertically disposed faces, and means disposed upon each of said faces for supporting a hat block in operative position with the face of each block engaging the respective face upon which same is supported, both of said hat blocks being thereby arranged so that a single hat body may be pulledover both of said blocks simultaneously in a vertical downward direction, the planes of said faces being arranged at a slight angle to one another.

'7. The method of blocking hats which includes first disposing a pair of individual hat crown forming hat blocks in a juxtaposed position with their faces substantially parallel to one another upon a suitable support, pulling a single hood over both of said blocks simultaneously in a di' rection substantially parallel to the planes of the faces of said blocks, then shaping portions of said hood about each of said blocks to form an individual hat crown upon each of said blocks.

NORMAN B. VARON. 

